a hundred k

The result: The state lottery revised its forecast for sales in the current fiscal year, which ends in June, from $3.6 billion to $3.2 billion. That means $1.13 billion to public education rather than $1.27 billion.

Lottery spokesman Rob McAndrews said the state lottery takes problem gambling seriously and spends $100,000 a year fighting it. The agency is airing public-service announcements on radio and television all month.

Giggle. I'm bettin' that the lottery billboard on I-80 westbound just after the Bay Bridge costs 'em more than that.

Yeah, at this point it's high enough that if you were guaranteed one winner, at circa in in 175M odds of winning, it's actually a rational decision.

Of course as inverse insurance there are other ways to make the occasional lottery ticket purchase a reasonable decision. And I think some people looking at the numbers have argued that if you pick higher numbers you're better off 'cause then you're biasing against sharing a win with people who use dates as "auspicious".